Vendor/client information system architecture
A data network storing data relating to work done by vendors for clients is described. The network includes two or more servers, each server containing (1) an exhaustive vendor data base that contains client-independent vendor data for every vendor, and (2) one or more individual client databases, each containing client information for a single client. The exhaustive vendor data base is replicated between the servers, and the client information for each client is contained by one individual client data base on one server.
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This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/001,630, filed Nov. 30, 2004, entitled “VENDOR/CLIENT INFORMATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
RELATED APPLICATIONSThis application is related to one or more of the following applications, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/497,246 filed on Aug. 22, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/477,425 filed on Jun. 9, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/864,290 filed on Jun. 9, 2004; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/923,606 filed on Aug. 20, 2004; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/497,247 filed on Aug. 22, 2003.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe described technology is directed to the field of the provision of services by vertical market application service providers.
BACKGROUNDIt may be desirable for a client of a vendor, such as a law firm, to track work done for the client by the vendor. In particular, it may be useful for a number of clients to use a common service to track work done by a number of different vendors, in a model where each client pays to use the service to track work done for the client by one or more vendors.
Such a service may be implemented using a client-centric data model, in which the service provides a separate database or instance of the service for each client's work. For a particular client, the client's database contains information about the client's projects, and each of the vendors engaged to work on these projects. For example, a client's database may contain information such as the following for two or more different vendors: the vendor's name, contact information for the vendor, and user information for the vendor. Much or possibly all of the information in a client's database might have to be manually entered by the client.
This client-centric data model has several possible disadvantages. As one example, where a particular vendor is engaged to work for three different clients, the vendor information must be separately entered (by either the vendor or the applicable client) in each database or instance of the service. Such data entry is redundant, and can create inconsistencies between the vendor information stored for the same vendor in different client databases, such as where (i) the information in one of the client's databases or instances of the service might have been entered incorrectly; (ii) one of the client's information about the vendor may have been inaccurate or out-of-date information, and such inaccurate information was therefore entered into the client's database or instance of the service; or (iii) information may have been initially entered correctly, but later becomes out-of-date (e.g. an attorney at a law firm leaves the law firm, and the law firm remembers to delete or deactivate the attorney in client #1's database but not in other client's databases). Moreover, where the vendor data stored for the same vendor in different client databases or instances of the service is inconsistent, the merging of this vendor with another vendor may require significant manual effort to reflect the merger in each client database containing vendor information for either of the two vendors.
Also, where a single vendor user is designated to maintain data for two or more different clients, the user may be required to maintain a different set of user credentials for each of these multiple clients, and log on to the service separately to maintain data for each of the multiple clients. Such requirements may impose significant burdens on vendor users.
Alternatively, to avoid the disadvantages of a client-centric data model, a service could be implemented using a client-commingled data model, in which the service combines the information about multiple clients' projects and their vendors' information in one database. Using the client-commingled data model, a single instance of a particular vendor's information could be maintained for all clients that are using the service, so that the particular vendor's information would not have to be redundantly entered for multiple clients, and the particular vendor's information would be consistent for all clients who are using the service.
This client-commingled data model, however, also has several possible disadvantages. As one example, if clients' projects contain potential confidential data, the client-commingled data model creates potential security weaknesses. The ability to ensure that only client #1 users see information about client #1 projects (or in other words that other clients' users cannot see information about client #1 projects) is dependant on the code comprising the client-commingled data model not having any errors or bugs that could allow other clients' users (or unauthorized vendor users) to see information about client #1's projects, or accidentally cause clients' information to be commingled. Since all code has varying amounts bugs and errors, this model does not offer the security of other models, such as a model that maintains information about each client's project in a separate database and does not allow cross-database queries and routines. Scalability can be another potential disadvantage of the client-commingled data model. For example, as the number of clients, client projects, and vendors increases in a single database, the processing speed of the service may be degraded.
In view of the disadvantages of the client-centric data model and the client-commingled data model discussed above, an improved data model that overcame some or all of these disadvantages would have significant utility.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONNot applicable.
A software and/or hardware facility for storing and presenting data relating to work done for clients by vendors (“the facility”) is described. In some embodiments, the facility is incorporated as part of an ASP service used predominantly by vendors of a certain type—such as law firms—to submit bills to their clients, establish budgets and schedules, maintain status information, provide estimates and predictions of likely results, etc. In some embodiments, the facility stores certain information about vendors in a vendor directory that is separate from information about clients. For example, a vendor directory may contain, for each vendor, information about the vendor's name, locations, personnel, and users of the service. This vendor directory information is stored separately from client information, such as information identifying and describing clients and their matters, and the matters': cost estimates, schedules, predicted outcomes, billing and payment history, associated client and vendor users, etc.
This approach has many advantages. First, it enables a second client that hires a vendor that is already associated with a first client via the service to leverage vendor information already stored by the service in connection with the vendor's billing of the first client, (1) without incurring the labor cost of re-entering the information, and (2) without introducing inconsistencies between different versions of vendor information entered by different clients.
Second, it enables the fastest possible rollout of the service by additional clients. To begin working with the vendor the second client merely needs to select the existing vendor from the vendor directory.
Third, information in the vendor directory that changes can be updated in one place, which is then automatically reflected in all of the clients' databases that work with the particular vendor. This ensures the consistency and accuracy of vendor information throughout all clients' databases. Moreover, as the number of clients that a vendor works with on the facility increases, it increases the likelihood that a vendor will notice and fix any incorrect vendor information. In other words, growth and increasing use of the facility causes the accuracy of the vendor information to improve, while on the other hand, growth and increasing use of a client-centric data model leads to greater and greater entropy with respect to vendor information.
Fourth, responsibility for updating a vendor's vendor information is attributed to the vendor itself, who is the party most likely to have the most accurate and up-to-date version of this vendor information.
Fifth, even if a vendor uses the service for multiple clients, each vendor user has only one login (i.e. the vendor user goes to the same login page and uses the same user ID and password to login to the facility for all clients). This is particularly important advantage, because if vendor user had to remember multiple different user IDs and passwords for the service, vendor users would be more likely to forget their login credentials, or worse, they would jeopardize the security of the system by using the same login credentials for multiple clients or write down login credentials.
Sixth, the facility is able to automate the process of reflecting in the service (i) the merging of two vendors (or the acquisition of one vendor by another vendor, or any other combining of vendors); (ii) the consolidation of multiple offices of a particular vendor; and (iii) the transfer of a user from one vendor to another vendor.
Seventh, clients can search the vendor directory to find vendors who have certain areas of expertise, located in certain geographical regions, or who have the technical ability to provide certain services (e.g. generation and submission of LEDES-formatted invoices).
Eighth, the vendor directory can include vendor performance information about a vendor collected as part of the vendor's use of the service and its work for one or more clients (e.g. aggregate data such as rank compared to other vendors with respect to its ability to meet budget estimates, achieve predicted outcomes, file status reports timely, etc.), which may assist additional clients to select vendors for additional matters or other projects.
Finally, in some embodiments, the facility may prohibit cross-client database queries or updates. This ensures that any errors or bugs in the facility would not accidentally enable other clients' users (or unauthorized vendor users) to see information about a particular client's projects, or accidentally cause one client's information to be commingled with another client's information.
In some embodiments, the facility utilizes a group of two or more servers, each containing two or more databases. In these embodiments, the facility distributes client databases, each corresponding to a different client using the service, across the group of servers so that each client database resides on one of the servers of the group. Each server of the group further contains a replicated copy of a vendor database containing client-independent vendor information for all of the vendors associated with any of the clients. By using this approach, the facility is able to isolate client information in a single location for security purposes; reduce the number of clients that are affected when a server in the group fails; maintain the currency of vendor data when used in conjunction with any client; geographically distribute the servers, such as to be geographically proximate to the clients that they serve; scale to a large number of clients and/or matters; and/or dedicate a server to a single client, if desired by the client.
Accordingly, the facility tends to enhance the value of the service to the clients and vendors that use it, ensure only the authorized users can access data in the applicable client databases, as well as to facilitate the support of the service by its operator.
As shown in Tables 1-3, in some embodiments the facility enables vendors to grant or deny authority of vendor users to take certain actions with respect to the vendor data (called a “vendor system role”). For example, not all vendor users can edit the fields—the vendor user must have certain administrative rights with respect to vendor data, or be editing his or her own user profile data. Table 4 below is one example of the types of vendor system roles that might be utilized in the facility. In some embodiments, the vendor system role may also affect what the vendor user may do within the clients' databases. For example, the facility may offer a vendor role for billing managers, which enables the billing manager to post an invoice to any matter, but not access the matter information. The vendor user role is itself a data element in an individual user's profile (see Table 2)
The facility replicates vendor directory between all of the database servers, such as by using transactional database replication techniques. Such replication occurs via either the Internet 140 or a separate network (not shown). As an example of this replication, if a user of vendor 2 modified the vendor 2 entry 113 in the copy of the vendor directory 111 stored on database server 110, this modification, or “transaction,” would be propagated to all other copies of the vendor directory on other database servers, such as entry 123 in vendor directory 121 on database server 120.
Each database server further contains client databases for one or more clients. For example, database server 110 contains a database 115 for client 1 and a database 118 for client 2. Each client database contains information about individual matters or projects being performed for the client by one of the registered vendors. For example, the client 1 database 115 contains an entry 116 for a matter 1a being performed for client 1 by vendor 2. It can be seen that the vendor performing a matter is identified by a pointer stored in the matter entry of the client database. For example, entry 116 in the client 1 database 115 contains a pointer to the vendor 2 entry 113 in vendor directory 111. In some embodiments, these pointers are each an identifier of either an entire entry in the vendor directory, or a field or other specific information stored inside the vendor directory entry. For example, the pointer in client database entry 116 may point to the entire vendor 2 entry 113 in the vendor directory, to a field in that entry identifying a vendor office, responsible vendor attorney, billing agent, etc. A client database entry may contain multiple pointers, each to a different point in the vendor directory. Because the client databases include client-independent vendor information “by reference,” this client-independent vendor information can be shared between (1) multiple matters for the same client, such as those associated with client database records 128-130, which all point to vendor 1 in the vendor directory, and/or (2) matters of different clients such as client database entry 117 for matter 1b of client 1, client database entry 119 for matter 2a of client 2, and client database entry 126 for matter 3a of client 3, which all point to vendor 2 in the vendor directory.
In some embodiments, each client database may also contain information about the vendor or vendor users that is input by client users and is shown with the vendor information input by the vendor. This information may or may not be visible by vendor users. Table 5 shows information input by a client that is associated with the vendor profile; Table 6 shows information input by a client that is associated with the vendor office profiles; and Table 7 shows information input by a client that is associated with the vendor user profiles. This information is specific to a particular client, and is not replicated between servers.
In some embodiments, the facility may allow the client to override certain authority granted by a vendor to a vendor user. For example, a vendor may have given a vendor user the vendor system role that allows the vendor user to post invoices to any matter in which the vendor has been assigned. However, a client can specify that the status of the particular vendor user is “Inactive,” which prevents the vendor user from accessing the client's database, but does not prevent the vendor user from accessing other clients' databases.
Like the vendor directory, each database server typically also contains a user credentials database that is replicated between all of the database servers. The credentials database typically includes, for both client and vendor users, user access information, such as names, passwords, and access rights for each such user. Users associated either with a client or a vendor may connect to one or more of the database servers via the Internet 140 or another network. Users may connect to the database servers using a web browser and/or various other types of client software.
In some embodiments, the facility initially routes a client user to a randomly-selected database server, where user access information stored in the local copy of the credentials database is used to authenticate the user. Typically this database server then redirects the client user to the database server containing the client database for that client. For example, user 1 of client 1, using user computer system 151, would be routed to database server 110 containing client database 115 for client 1. Database server 110 would use access information for client 1 stored in the client 1 database 115 to authenticate user 1 of client 1. User 1 of client 1 would then proceed to interact with the contents of the client 1 database, such as by modifying a matter entry in the client 1 database, approving the payment of a bill presented to client 1 via the service by a vendor assigned to one of client 1's matters, or creating and populating a new matter entry in the client 1 database—including assigning a vendor and/or a vendor user to the new matter.
In some embodiments, the facility directs a vendor user to a randomly-selected database server, where user access information stored in the local copy of the credentials database is used to authenticate the user. Depending on the vendor user's vendor system rights and rights within a particular client's database, the vendor user may then access or modify information in the vendor's entry in the vendor directory, and/or selected information in client database entries for matters assigned to the vendor, such as presenting a bill in such a matter. Where a vendor user wishes to access client information for a client whose database is stored on a database server other than the one to which the vendor user is logged in, the facility in some embodiments redirects the vendor user to log in at the other database server. In some embodiments, however, the facility forwards the vendor user's data access requests from the database server to which the vendor user is logged in to the database server on which the requested data resides. The facility may use various mechanisms to direct users to the proper database server, including web front-ends containing server-side logic, client applications containing client-side logic, load-balancing equipment and/or techniques, or other forms of redirectors. In some embodiments, rather than selecting a database server randomly for a vendor user, the facility employs logic to choose a database server most likely to be directly useful to a vendor or particular vendor user, such as the database server hosting the largest number of clients or matters to which the vendor or vendor user is assigned, the database server containing most recently accessed by the vendor or vendor user, etc.
In some embodiments, the facility generates reports and/or views for particular vendors across multiple database servers. For example, for a user of vendor 2, the facility may generate a report or view that contains information from client database entry 116 for matter 1a for client 1 in database server 110 and client database entry 126 for matter 3a for client 3 in client database 125 on database server 120. The report may indicate, for example, action items that are now or will soon be due in any of the matters for which the vendor user is responsible. In some embodiments that do not permit cross-client database queries, such reports are or may be generated periodically from each client's database (i.e. a routine is run within each client's database that pushes the vendor specific data into the vendor database. In some other embodiments the reports might be generated dynamically, so that they contain the most up-to-date version of the information that is available. Such reports may be initiated based either on retrievals by an agent outside of the relevant databases, or on data exports from the relevant databases. In some embodiments, the facility generates such reports based upon queries specified by the operator of the ASP service, and not in accordance with any query specified by a vendor or client user.
In some embodiments, a vendor user may add to his or her vendor's vendor directory entry information specifying a designee who may take actions on behalf of the vendor user. In some cases, where a matter entry contains a pointer to a vendor user inside a vendor entry in the vendor directory, and that vendor user specifies a designee, that designee receives some or all of the authority granted to the responsible vendor user for the matter. For example, such a designee may be permitted to submit invoices, or update matter status information. Some authority may be withheld from the designee, however, at the instigation of the responsible vendor user, an administrative vendor user for the same vendor, an administrative user for the client, or an agent of the service.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that
While various functionalities and data are shown in
In order to more fully describe the facility and its implementation, the number of display diagrams showing sample displays presented by the facility are discussed below. While these figures and their discussion include law firms as an example of a type of vendor and companies as an example of a type of client, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the facility may be used in connection with vendors of other types and/or with clients of other types.
If a company user wishes to associate with his or her company a firm not listed in the vendor directory, the user can click on or otherwise select control 540 in
In some embodiments, when a company user creates a new firm and creates a lead system administrator for that firm, the facility automatically contacts that lead system administrator—such as by sending an e-mail message to the e-mail address specified for the lead system administrator—inviting the lead system administrator to visit a web site provided by the facility to enter additional information about the created firm. In some embodiments, this communication includes a link to a login page for such a web site, as well as a password generated for the lead system administrator.
Returning to
While various exemplary sets of data fields are discussed above, such as in connection with the Tables and Figures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the facility may be used in conjunction with sets of fields that differ from those discussed. Similarly, while various forms of vendor and vendor user performance and evaluation data are discussed above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the facility may be used in conjunction with a variety of different forms of vendor and vendor user performance and evaluation data.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described facility may be straightforwardly adapted or extended in various ways. For example, the facility may be used to store and retrieve various kinds of information about matters or other projects performed by vendors of a wide variety of types for clients of a wide variety of types. Various supporting technologies—such as networking, load balancing and connection redirection, database and database replication, etc.—both presently in use and later-developed, may be used in connection with the facility. While the foregoing description makes reference to particular embodiments, the scope of the invention is defined solely by the claims that follow and the elements recited therein.
Claims
1. A vendor organization/client organization data network storing data relating to work done by vendor organizations among a plurality of vendor organizations for client organizations among a plurality of client organizations, wherein each vendor organization provides services to client organizations of the vendor organization, the network comprising:
- a plurality of database servers, each database server of the plurality of database servers comprising: a vendor organization database containing client organization-independent vendor organization data for each and every vendor organization of the plurality of vendor organizations, the vendor organization database being replicated between the plurality of database servers, so that each of the plurality of database servers stores a copy of the vendor organization database; a plurality of individual client organization databases, each individual client organization database containing client organization information for a single client organization among the plurality of client organizations, client organization information for each client organization of the plurality of client organizations being contained by exactly one individual client organization database on exactly one database server of the plurality of database servers; and a vendor user credentials database configured to store vendor user access information, wherein the vendor user access information is used to authenticate the vendor user; and
- upon the vendor user being authenticated, permitting the vendor user to modify the vendor organization database wherein the modification to the vendor organization database is propagated to the copies of the vendor organization database stored on each of the plurality of database servers.
2. The data network of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of vendor organizations is a law firm.
3. The data network of claim 1 wherein at least one of the individual client organization databases contains both vendor organization-independent information and vendor organization-dependent information.
4. The data network of claim 1 wherein a first individual client organization database contains access control information for one or more client organization users, enabling the client organization users to logon to the database server containing the first individual client organization database.
5. The data network of claim 1 wherein at least one of the individual client organization databases contains information relating to a project being performed for the client organization whose client organization information is contained in the individual client organization database by a vendor organization.
6. The data network of claim 5 wherein the information relating to a project being performed for the client organization by a vendor organization comprises schedule information.
7. The data network of claim 5 wherein the information relating to a project being performed for the client organization by a vendor organization comprises projected cost information.
8. The data network of claim 5 wherein the information relating to a project being performed for the client organization by a vendor organization comprises projected outcome or result information.
9. The data network of claim 5 wherein the information relating to a project being performed for the client organization by a vendor organization comprises status information.
10. The data network of claim 5 wherein the information relating to a project being performed for the client organization by a vendor organization comprises billing information.
11. The data network of claim 1 wherein at least one of the individual client organization databases contains a reference to an entry in the vendor organization database containing vendor organization data for a vendor organization retained by the client organization whose client organization information is contained in the individual client organization database.
12. The data network of claim 1 wherein, for a first vendor organization, for each client organization who has engaged the first vendor organization, the individual client organization database containing the client organization's client organization data includes a reference to an entry in the vendor organization database containing vendor organization data for the first vendor organization.
13. The data network of claim 1 wherein the vendor organization database is comprised of entries each containing vendor organization data for a different vendor organization among the plurality of vendor organizations, and wherein an entry for a first vendor organization contains access control information for one or more vendor organization users of the first vendor organization, enabling the vendor organization users to logon to any of the database servers.
14. The data network of claim 13 wherein the access control information includes vendor organization user credentials, and wherein the vendor organization database contains no more than a single set of user credentials for any user.
15. The data network of claim 1 wherein the vendor organization database is comprised of entries each containing vendor organization data for a different vendor organization among the plurality of vendor organizations, and wherein an entry for a first vendor organization contains a collection of action items, information alerts, or alerts of other activity or events each relating to client organizations among a plurality of client organizations that have engaged the first vendor organization.
16. The data network of claim 1 wherein one or more backup servers contain a backup copy of each of the individual client organization databases.
17. The data network of claim 16 wherein the backup servers are distinct from the database servers.
18. The data network of claim 16 wherein one or more of the database servers serve as the backup servers.
19. The data network of claim 16 wherein a first database server contains a single individual client organization database for a single client organization.
20. The data network of claim 1 wherein each database server of the plurality of database servers further comprises: a client user credentials database configured to store client user access information, wherein the client user access information is used to authenticate the client user.
21. The data network of claim 20 wherein the user credentials database is replicated between the plurality of database servers, wherein a modification to the client user credentials database is propagated to the client user credentials database on each of the plurality of database servers.
22. The data network of claim 20 wherein the client user, upon not being authenticated, is restricted from accessing information and is directed to another one of the plurality of database servers.
23. One or more computer memories collectively containing a vendor organization/client organization data structure stored across a plurality of servers, comprising:
- a vendor organization database containing vendor organization information, the vendor organization database being replicated on each of the plurality of servers so that each of the plurality of servers stores a copy of the vendor organization database;
- a vendor user credentials database configured to store vendor user access information, wherein the stored vendor user access information is used to authenticate the vendor user;
- upon the vendor user being authenticated, permitting the vendor user to modify the vendor organization database, wherein upon any of the plurality of the vendor organization database being modified, the modification to the vendor organization database is propagated to the copies of the vendor organization database stored on each of the plurality of servers; and
- for each of a plurality of client organizations, a client organization database containing client organization information that is resident on a single one of the plurality of servers so that each client organization database is stored on only one of the plurality of servers.
24. The computer memories of claim 23 wherein a first client organization database contains access control information for one or more users associated with a first client organization, the access control information enabling the one or more users associated with the first client organization to logon to the server on which the first client organization database is resident.
25. The computer memories of claim 24 wherein the first client organization database contains information relating to at least one project being performed for the first client organization by a first vendor organization, wherein the information relating to the project being performed for the first client organization by the first vendor organization comprises schedule information for the project being performed for the first client organization by the first vendor organization and projected cost information for the project being performed for the first client organization by the first vendor organization.
26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to perform a method for managing user sessions for a client organization/vendor organization application service provider, the method comprising:
- when a logon request is received from a first user associated with a first client organization: identifying a plurality of database servers, selecting a first database server among the identified plurality of database servers to which the first client organization is assigned, initiating a user session for the first user with the first database server, and accessing data on the first user's behalf from among client organization data for the first client organization stored on the first database server; and
- when a logon request is received from a second user associated with a first vendor organization: initiating a user session for the second user with a second database server randomly selected from the identified plurality of database servers, invoking a vendor user credentials database configured to store vendor user access information, wherein the stored vendor user access information is used to authenticate the second user, and upon the second user being authenticated, accessing data on the second user's behalf from among vendor organization data for the first vendor organization stored on the second database server and permitting the second user to modify the data stored on the second database server, wherein the modification to the data stored on the second database server is propagated to each of the plurality of database servers.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jan 11, 2012
Date of Patent: Apr 25, 2017
Assignee: Thomson Reuters Global Resources (Baar)
Inventors: Ronald Wencel (Frankfort, IL), Richard Boone (Kirkland, WA), Thomas G. Melling (Sammamish, WA)
Primary Examiner: Angelica Ruiz
Application Number: 13/348,289
International Classification: G06F 7/00 (20060101); G06F 17/30 (20060101);